Tales of Xenimus: Descent into Darkness
by Conquistador
Summary: An evil force is prepared to end all life in the realm.
1. Prologue

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Descent into Darkness

Prologue

The sun threw its final rays of light into town. In the diminishing twilight, the town only began to come to life. And a peaceful life it was. Semel was the oldest known town in the lands. It predated the reign of Corsix and even before the First Animus War centuries before. Now the town lay at a crossroads. It no longer was as bustling as before the founding of the big trade and social centers of Terthius and Aridus.

People bustled back and forth from shop to house to the magical town center that provided a haven from the evils of the outside world. Warriors and mages bustled about selling wears and swapping tall tales of previous adventures. The best known showed of their skills in swordsmanship and magic. All was at peace...

Or so it seemed. As the sun finally vanished a lone figure walked quickly into town. The figure wore a dark brown robe lined with glistening jewels. His steps made not a sound but all that his feet touched withered and died. The bustle of the town died as people stopped to look at the stranger.

He approached the town square and stopped. He turned his cloaked head from side to side surveying the magic squares of the town center. Hesitantly he raised a foot and set it down on one of the many black blocks. The square glowed for a second then turned to a bloody red. The red color flowed forth from the square like blood engulfing the whole town center.

With an evil chuckle the stranger threw off his robe and pulled himself up to full height. His body was tall and emaciated, his face scarred and solemn. His whole being was covered in a blood red armor that refused to reflect any bit of sunlight. The armor had once been of the Mystic Plate variety, an armor treasured by warriors for its strength and durability. This armor however, was cracked and discolored. Where once gold veins of energy flowed now pulsed veins of pure darkness.

With a wry smile the stranger raise up a hand, palm pointed to the sky. A small ball of red energy formed in the man's hand and grew into a massive globule. As the smile vanished from the man's scarred lips, he hurled it into the now bloody Town Square. A crack of lightning arced down from the sky where the ball of energy had hit. More lightning bolts arced down from the now bright as day sky.

More globes of energy raced away from the main globe and peppered the surrounding ground. Where each one hit, appeared a magical portal. In moments hundreds of portals had sprung up in Semel. The sky was lit by a hellish glow that emanated from directly above the town center.

By now the adventurers and mages in town had assembled into a small group and prepared to combat whatever was about to descend upon the city. Civilians ran about in a heated panic. The stranger stood calmly on the town taking in the chaos around him. He raised his hand again and then swung it ground ward. A pulse of energy radiated outward and washed over the portals.

The air became deathly still and quiet for what seemed like and eternity...then the portals burst outward with a legion of undead warriors. The skeletons poured out of the portals and began to tear the town apart. An entire legion of undead warriors soon had engulfed the town. The fighters, paladins, and mages in town desperately tried to fight back the hoard of skellie warriors to little avail.

Swords tore through armor and bones as bolts of energy disintegrated entire ranks of undead. In moments however, most of the sword bearers were brought to their knees and slaughtered. The mages fared slightly better. They managed to transport themselves further from the fight and continue the relentless bombardment of the undead horde. In minutes even the most powerful mages expended their energy and were forced to submit to the evil they had fought so valiantly fought to vanquish.

As the last resistance was blotted from the town, the leader of it all stood in the center of the once glorious town smiling evilly. He raised both hands above his head and let the energy build up in them. Red lightning bolts arced from the hellish sky and struck the growing black orb above his hands. Once it had reached 3 meters across, the stranger hurled it into the ground.

A massive pulse of energy raced outward from the impact vaporizing the town and surrounding fauna. The pulse raced along turning the living into undead warriors at incredible speed. In five minutes it had reached the Iterum River and ceased. Behind it the once fertile land was dead and desolate. The sky was darkened beyond anything a normal night could achieve. Winds ceased, birds disappeared, and insects chirped a mournful melody.

Above the once great town of Semel clouds lit by Hellish glow circled. A spire had risen out of the ground. It reflected no light but appeared to radiate its own evil light. It grew slowly skyward. In mere hours it reached higher then the highest mountain on the Old Continent. Lightning bolts arced from dark spire to dark spire.

At the towers' massive base sat the stranger that had decimated Semel. His throne was made of human bones with blood pouring from it like a fountain. Around him stood his generals, the reanimated corpses of those slain in the Semel battle.

In his armored right hand he clutched a staff of bone topped by a single human skull. Reddish fire glowed from within the eye sockets and blood poured forth from the open jaw. The stranger glanced out from his raised position over the ruins of Semel.

Before him were lines of thousands of skeleton warriors and daemons. He smiled wryly as he surveyed his troops. Legions of the finest undead warriors and more awaited his signal in the Nexus. The time for Evil had come...


	2. Chapter 1

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Chapter 1

Kai the Black sat cross-legged in his small room in the Terthius Mage Guild building. His eyes were tightly shut and he murmured ancient chants as he continued the meditation. He felt the energy that fueled the wizard's spells flow through him like water through a river. He toyed with it for several moments, letting it build and ebb in his mind.

At the height of meditation the energy waves ceased and were replaced with a lance of pain. Kai's eyes shot open as horrible images of slaughter and destruction flooded his mind. He saw wizards and paladins fight horrible monstrosities as innocents were brutally slaughtered. As the images became more terrible, a single person became crystal clear.

A man sat on a throne of bone and blood clutching a staff. His body was covered in armor that pulsed of evil and his eyes glowed blood red in sunken sockets. Around him stood the bloody corpses of the slain fighters and mages Kai had seen earlier.

Kai awoke from the trance with a name on his lips. "Kaine," the name dripped with vileness and evil. He repeated it again and the image of the man's glowing eyes appeared in his mind. He drew in an unsteady breath and exhaled.

Something horrible had happened. The pain and torment were so horrible that they had traveled through the Mana channels and been received by Kai. He took two deep breaths and collected his thoughts. The council would know of whatever had happened by now. He had to get to the main council chamber and ask for guidance.

With that, Kai stood up and threw on a black robe lined with silver over the enchanted Leather of Spirits he wore. He went to the corner of the small room and took his prized possession in hand. The Staff of Spirits was a rod of pure energy topped with a small spike that allowed spiritual energy to enter and leave.

He clutched the staff tightly feeling the warmth as energy flowed from within it to Kai. He felt the energy grow ever greater as he chanted and ancient spell to boost his strength. Tiny red globes of energy began to form around Kai swirling inward. At the end of the chant, the globes stopped and condensed into Kai's midsection.

Energized, Kai left his room and began to walk hastily through the Mage Guild. Apprentices as Masters strode down the corridors chanting spells and focusing their magical energy. Kai remembered fondly his time as an apprentice. His master had been one of the greatest Warlocks of the time...until he had been brutally killed by evil mages in a newly unlocked dungeon. The particular dungeon had been given the name Death after even the greatest mages and fighters had died trying to explore its evil depths.

But that was the past. More powerful mages had been trained and peace had ruled the lands. Until now, Kai thought as he entered the Hall of Ages. The great center of the guild had been created long before the first mage guilds organized by mysterious forces in the Unknown Times. The massive hall of spires and ancient tapestries had seen more history then even the most complete libraries had recorded.

At the front of the hall on a raised platform was the Council's Realm. 15 wooden chairs encompassed a round table. Each chair had the markings of a high Wizard or Warlock of the Council. At the point furthest from where Kai stood was an extremely lavish chair reserved for the most powerful mage in the land--Corsix. Their respective owner filled every chair except Corsix's. A muffled buzz filled the air and was laced with tension.

"Order!!" One of the oldest Wizards cried out over the buzz. "We must find order in ourselves before we can deal with this crisis." The hall grew quiet and all eyes turned to the haggard old wizard. "Will the High Mage of Semel please rise?"

A gray cloaked man stood from among the other high Mages. His eyes were weary and drained of life and the energy radiating from him lacked and enthusiasm. The face of the man contorted into pain as he began to speak in a solemn voice.

"I left Semel a week ago for the Guild's monthly meeting..." he let out a long sigh, "I now regret following the order. Last night my precious town was destroyed. Few escaped the slaughter and those that have have since killed themselves or died. It appears an evil force of unparalleled power emerged from a single stranger who entered town.

"The stranger was said to have worn armor that radiated evil and eyes that pierced souls. Witnesses say that he had managed to turn the town square into a pool of blood and then summoned an army of the undead. The town was destroyed."

The wizard slumped to his seat and seemed to vanish for a second. His energy was fading and soon he'd completely vanish. Whatever had destroyed Semel had taken away much of the old Wizard's energy reserves.

Another member of the council stood. She appeared young and radiated pure beauty, however Kai knew the High Mage of Iterum was one of the oldest members of the council. Her powers of visual manipulation were unparalleled in all the lands and easily fooled all but the most keen of minds. She cleared her throat and began to speak in a heavenly voice.

"The town of Iterum appears next on the target list for whoever is behind Semel's destruction. An energy sphere surrounds the lands around Semel right up to half way through the Iterum River. Beyond the edge of the bubble the land appears barren and sterile. The sky above where Semel was appears dark but lit by a 'hellish' glow.

"We are uncertain what will happen if the bubble begins to expand into Iterum or what will follow it. For the most part Iterum has been abandoned, however, many citizens have stayed behind and taken up arms against the possible invasion. Unfortunately, the citizens are poorly trained and will stand no chance against whatever destroyed Semel."

"The Divine Order has already dispatched a team of their best Clerics and Paladins to support the civilian militia," a Warlock on the opposite side of the Council table began. "They have requested immediate help from our guild and from Corsix. So far no word has been heard from Corsix's castle."

Another aging Wizard cleared his throat and rasped away, "Fighters and the like in the town of Iterum and outlying areas have already offered their services. Their asking price is so high though, that it is impossible for anyone in Iterum to pay."

The Council grew quiet and Kai saw his chance. He approached the table and began to speak, "Council with all due respect, I believe i know who is behind the atrocities committed at Semel."

"Please inform us then Kai the Black."

"This morning during meditation I felt a powerful wave of energy wash over me. With it came horrible visions of Semel's destruction. Once the visions ended a single figure engulfed my mind's eye. I believe his name is...Kaine."

An eerie quiet descended upon the whole hall. Not a sound was made or a breath taken for a long moment. Suddenly, a roar of urgent whispers swept down from the Council table. People talked of immediate death, destruction, submitting, and the like.

The High Mage of Aridus, a young Scallion, stood and smashed his clawed hand on the table. "ORDER!!" He hissed angrily. "Kai are you certain that thiss evil iss Kaine."

Kai bowed his head slightly and then asked a pressing question, "Who is Kaine."

The High Mage of Aridus sat down and was replaced by the much older Mage of Terthius. He cleared his throat then began to speak as if he were a teacher lecturing a class, "After the Third Animus War some 200 years ago, a young Cleric named Kaine the Merciful set out on a mission to help aide those harmed be the horrible war. He traveled the lands healing the sick and wounded. His miracles were well known and the common man looked him up to.

"After two decades of healing and traveling, a question appeared in his mind. No matter how hard he tried Kaine was unable to end one of the most fundamental things of life--Death. He became obsessed with trying to find a way to defeat the inevitable. Kaine scoured every library and university, asked every Philosopher and every old Mage. Death it seemed could not, no matter the will or power, be stopped."

The old man stopped and sighed deeply. "Depressed, Kaine disappeared into the deep woods to meditate. After many a long year, Kaine's name and existence became clouded in myth and legend. Then he emerged. He had found his solution to Death. The only way to end Death was to end Life.

"Kaine had changed dramatically. He had taken up the forbidden arts of Necromancy and had crafted the ultimate weapon. The Staff of the Fallen is the most vile and powerful weapon ever created. A skilled enough person could use it to raise the Final Army of the Undead."

The Mage swallowed hard and pressed on, "Fortunately, Kaine wasn't skilled enough. His small army of the undead was decimated by the Divine Order and he was banished to the Underworld."

Another High Mage stood up and spoke in a very dreary voice; "it has long been prophesized that Kaine would return to end Death once and for all. The worst part is that the prophecies predicted that Kaine's Staff of the Fallen would grant him unlimited control over the Nexus, the realm of Death. If this is true, then with the Staff in his possession, Kaine could become more powerful then Corsix could ever become."

Another charged whisper ripped through the hall. Kai felt a knot growing in his stomach. For years it had been taught that no one could possibly be more powerful then Corsix and the Sun Staff. If the prophecies were true, then Corsix and every other mage and fighter in the realm would be overwhelmed and destroyed. The thought was unbearable.

Another High Mage stood, "My fellow Wizards and Warlocks, the situation could not possibly and graver. Death awaits all who could possibly challenge Kaine. However, we must try to stop his plan's success. Kai, you seem to be linked to Kaine since none of us felt a similar energy wave; we are dispatching you to Iterum to lead a group of others to Semel. You will learn as much as you can about Kaine and his plans then report back here."

The Wizard chanted a spell to create a magic portal. The portal appeared in a cloud of colored energy and swirling lights. "May you find success on your mission, friend."

Kai hesitantly stepped forward into the portal and toward his destiny.


	3. Chapter 2

#**Chapter 2**

Iterum bustled in a heated frenzy. Warriors, paladins, and healing clerics ran every which way training the remaining population and prepared for the approaching battle. Weapons and supplies traded hands as rapidly as information. Small squads of civilians hurried about in formation gathering strength to defend their homeland.

Never in Iterum's long history had so many people been in the town. Founded a millennia ago as the lands emerged from the Unknown Times, Iterum had originally been set up as a trading town on the Iterum River. It had been expected that Iterum would become the major city on the continent. Terthius, however, became number one after Corsix set up his castle slightly east of town. Iterum faded away into a small backwater-farming town.

Kai strode down the main, albeit small, street. A small inn on the end of the street served as the Divine Order's headquarters. He walked in and was greeted by a stiff silence and unnerving glares. Several very prominent Clerics and Paladins stood hunched over maps going over battle plans and generally making important decisions.

"Greetings," a paladin in mystic scale male said as Kai took another step into the inn. "Who is it that enters this establishment?"

"I am Kai the Black of the Terthius Mage Guild," Kai said coolly. "I have come hear to gather information for the High Mages. We believe the force that destroyed Semel is a powerful necromancer by the name of Kaine."

The inn grew eerily quiet as the words left Kai's mouth. Several of the clerics and paladins stopped what they had been doing and stared palely at Kai. Not a sound was heard for a long moment as Kai surveyed the fear-filled faces.

"I believe I am somehow linked to this Kaine as I saw him in meditation earlier. I request that a member of the Divine Order come with me as I begin my journey to whatever is left of Semel."

Another wave of aghast looks washed over Kai and the silence continued.

"You can't possibly be serious," a cleric said as he slowly stood from a table. "If Kaine has returned, venturing to Semel would be beyond suicidal. If you are captured your soul and body will be ripped apart and forever you will be in his control."

"I am aware of the risks; I know the stories and legends of the Necromancers. However, if we do not learn more about Kaine, his shadow will envelop the lands and all of us will be ripped from our souls."

"Madness," a paladin in the farthest corner muttered.

Kai turned to face the paladin and spoke in a dark voice, "is it not madness fighting here when we know Kaine will easily sweep you all aside in his push to Terthius?"

The paladin cowered back a little as Kai's words bit into him.

"Clerics and Paladins of the Divine Order, never in these lands' histories has such an evil confronted them. Kaine will crush all of us just as easily as he crushed Semel and he will end all Death. I have heard rumors that the main dungeons have dried up of evil. The purest evil has descended and unless we know more, we too shall descend into the darkness."

A Scallion clad in mystic plate stood from a stool at the bar and spoke in a determined voice; "I volunteer to journey with you Kai the Black. I am Amsa of the Northern Clericss. My hometown was Ssemel and I thirsst for revenge at the death of my kinssmen."

"As do I," a Paladin walked sturdily from the window to Amsa's side. "I am Kirth of the Divine Order's Eastern Legion. I too have kin in Semel I would like to see again."

"Then we are set. Gather your stuff and meet me by the bridge immediately." Kai strode from the inn leaving the remainder of the clerics and paladins to scramble about making preps for the expedition.

*****

A wall of energy shimmered and glistened in the dieing sun. It tore the river in half and seemed to send all living things in the river fleeing for cover. Kai's eyes were shut tight, yet the energy wall shimmered just as brightly in his mind's eye. Birds flew away, insects the same, and small wood creatures scurried in fear.

Kai exhaled a deep breath and opened his eyes. The reddish wall of energy rippled slightly in the wind and seemed to call for Kai to enter it. Soon, he thought to the wall, soon.

"Warlock Kai," a Scallion accented voice exclaimed, "We are ready to go."

Kai turned on his booted heel and faced his companions on his dangerous mission. Amsa, the cleric Scallion, stood proud clad in his silver and gold lined Mystic Plate. His head was topped in a blue and gold frilled Mystic helm and in his gloved hand he clutched a Staff of the Almus. The yellow and purple staff radiated energy and fed Amsa with the energy needed to fight and heal.

Beside the valiant Scallion stood Kirth. The muscular Dreg was clad similarly as Amsa except for his weapon. His Vita Halberd reflected the sun's final rays as he shifted it uneasily. The halberd was one of the finest ever crafted; they were prized by their owners and were deadly efficient in combat.

"If either of you do not wish to go, now is your last chance," Kai began in a deathly serious voice. "I can not assure you that we will return from this mission and I likewise can not tell you what we will face."

Neither of the holy warriors backed down. Determination flowed off of them in waves. Amsa's tongue flicked out to sense the air around him. His eyes picked up where his tongue left off' they scanned every object in sight.

Kirth also scanned ahead. However, Kirth appeared distraught at something. Sweat beaded on his forehead and rolled down his face to coat his armor. He coughed quietly signaling his impatience.

Kai sighed heavily and motioned for his new companions to join him. They approached the bridge that spanned the Iterum River and stopped. Several magical bombs had pulverized the Iterum side of the bridge into nothing.

They hesitated for a second before Kai took the lead. He muttered a well-known chant and felt his body dissolve. His legs, arms, and torso disappeared into clouds of gold gas. When the transformation was complete, Kai was nothing more then a cloud hovering half a meter off the ground.

Amsa and Kirth looked at each other for a second then repeated the same spell. Together, the three clouds of essence rocketed across the river and up the road toward Semel.

Even though it was getting dark in Iterum, the road was well lit by a red-orange light. The light seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. The sky was covered in grayish clouds that blocked out exactly what the sky looked like.

Kai, even in his nimbus form, noticed that the grass about the road was brown and appeared dead. Few birds flew and those that did were thin and loosing feathers. Living corpses dotted the landscape every few kilometers. Their clothes were torn and ragged, hair was falling out, and skin was covered in lesions and ulcers.

Whatever had caused all this was beyond Kai's mind. He couldn't conceive of a force strong enough to destroy thousands upon thousands of square kilometers of life. Perhaps the legends about Kaine's true strength were real. If this was the tip of the iceberg no one would be able to challenge Kaine--not even Corsix.

Minutes slowly passed and the road grew straighter and wider. A few more hills and Semel would be insight. Before the final hill even appeared, Kai reverted from his nimbus form and stopped. His mouth and eyes grew wide as he saw what loomed before him.

Spires of solid blackness reached powerfully toward the sky. Red lightning bolts arced from spire to spire and an odd light seemed to emit from whatever this thing was. Kai continued to stare dumbfounded for a long minute. Amsa and Kirth reverted quickly and fell in to either of Kai's sides.

"What is that thing!?!" Kirth exclaimed in primeval fear.

"That," Kai nodded to the spires, "that is Kaine's palace."

"It'ss enormouss," Amsa hissed wearily.

"We must approach it cautiously," Kai stated, "come." He quickly chanted the mutatio nimbus spell and took off perpendicular to the road. Amsa and Kirth hesitated rethinking if this was such a good idea. Seeing no other options, the two began after Kai.

As he gassed along, Kai began to get some idea of the structure's scope. Its base was easily twice the size of Terthius and its tallest spire cut a wide hole in the clouds above. Nothing ever built by man or nature even came close in size of prowess as this.

Kai darted off toward the tower again after several long minutes. In no time he had reached the base of the tower and dropped out of nimbus. Amsa and Kirth quickly followed.

The tower, which originally appeared to be solid black, was actually crystalline and shimmered black. Kai approached the odd material and reached out with a cautious hand. The material was smooth and even cold.

"What is it?" Kirth asked quietly.

"I-," Kai swallowed back the fear, "I think it's Blight Stone."

A look of fear appeared on both Kirth's and Amsa's faces. Blight stone was the material that made the hellish Pix Daemons. Pixes were feared creatures to all but the strongest warriors and mages. Their smooth, black forms withstood incredible punishment and they were equally able to dole out damage.

Kai ran his hand along the cold surface once again but stopped after mere moments. Two ovoid shapes appeared in the stone. They were about 3 centimeters apart and about as large. Kai watched the shapes with deep interest until they opened. Glowing red eyes glared into Kai's essence and sent him transporting backwards several meters.

"They're Pixes!!" Kai yelled as the rest of the Pix took shape in the tower. Another set of eyes soon opened followed by another and another. Ten pairs of glowing eyes stared at the trio with more opening every second.

The first Pix pulled away from the tower and began charging toward Kirth. The thing hovered centimeters off the ground and raised one crystalline hand to strike down with. Kirth responded by chanting several spells at once. First came multi animagicus, which caused several waves of red energy to appear from around Kirth and funnel into his body. Second was divinous teuri, or the divine armor. Globes of golden light began circling Kirth protecting him from any harm.

When the spells were done, Kirth bellowed at the top of his lungs and dashed toward the Pix. His halberd came up and cut through the monster's midsection in a single swoop. The two halves quickly fell to the ground and liquefied, then proceeded to return to the tower.

By now Pixes swarmed all over the place. Kai chanted all the defensive spells he could before attacking. Swathed in the golden divinous teuri and the even more powerful light purple egg of infinitus teuri, Kai launched his assault. He gripped his Staff of Spirits tight and pointed the top end at the nearest Pix. A conical bolt shot out of the staff and sailed toward the Pix. On impact it exploded disintegrating the helpless demon and shattering several other nearby ones.

The small skirmish raged for minutes on end as more Pixes spawned and more blasts of energy tore them down. Kirth was the first to fall. The Pixes surrounded and overwhelmed the valiant Paladin. They struck him repeatedly and then left his crumpled, but still alive body, in the grass.

Soon after the Cleric Amsa succumbed to the merciless assault. His Staff of the Almus glowed for several seconds trying to revitalize the battered Scallion. The effort was in vain though, and the Pixes too left Amsa unconscious.

Kai saw his own defeat would soon follow and quickly transed away from the knot of Pixes that threatened to surround him. For a split second he wished he could go back and save both Amsa and Kirth, but knew it would mean his own death. With heavy heart, Kai spewed forth his most well known and used spell--reditus cubile.

The spell should have instantly transported the distraught Warlock to the safety of the Guild Hall. There appeared to be a bright flash around Kai, then nothing. He stood there gaping in horror as the spell failed and Pixes overran him.

*****

Kai felt a throbbing pain deep in his head. His muscles ached and his lungs burned. There seemed to be something far worse then death--life. He slid one eye opened and made an effort at the other but found it swollen shut. His one good eye did show him that perhaps he should have prayed for death.

He lay on a Blight Stone slab about ten meters by ten meters. Around it was what appeared to be a river of blood and on the other side of the river stood lines of skeletons and daemons. Farthest away from Kai was a throne of human bones and behind that the entrance to the tower.

Kai sat up slowly to find Amsa and Kirth lying beside him. Both were bleeding profusely and seemed worse off then he. To one side were their weapons and gear, wrecked beyond use. To the other stood a very emaciated mad in hellishly grotesque armor and a staff of bones topped with a skull.

Kai's eye widened as the realization set in. "Kaine," he muttered.

"Ah, very good my young Warlock," Kaine rasped in a monotone voice. "I see we have met before."

Kaine stepped closer to the trio and smirked; "I would have expected more from the Divine Order then those two. You however are very promising Kai the Black. Its not everyday I meet a mage with so much hidden power. Too bad it will do you little good here."

Amsa and Kirth slowly awakened and set up. They glanced around and seemed beyond horrified. Kirth tried to stand but collapsed under his broken left leg.

"Tsk, tsk," Kaine wagged a finger at the Paladin. "Poor Paladin has a broken leg. Come here and let me heal it." Kaine waved Kirth forward and quickly found the Paladin's throat in his hand.

Kirth's face grew pale and his eyes wide. He had been mentally pulled over with almost no effort. Kaine's slender fingers adjusted around Kirth's neck then began glowing.

"You shall make an excellent addition to my army," he said vilely. Kirth wailed in pain then went limp. A bluish stream of life essence flowed forth from Kirth and into Kaine.

The Necromancer released Kirth's drained corpse and studied the blue cloud he held in his hand. "A mighty warrior. He fought hard and suffered...but no more!" Kaine hurled the essence into the river of what Kai now understood to be souls.

"Rise paladin and take your place in my crusade!"

Kai stared in horror, as Kirth's limp body seemed to be refilled with life. The man stood up, his leg obviously healed, and took up a position slightly behind and to the left of Kaine.

"What did you just do!?!" Kai stammered in fear.

"Why, I relieved him of his suffering. Your Paladin friend is quiet all right. No more pain or suffering, just a constant euphoria." A dark smile crossed Kaine's face.

"You killed him," Amsa hissed in anger.

"Quite the contrary. I have given him new life. I removed his pain feeling essence and replaced it; all he has to do is serve my crusade."

"You're a monster."

Kaine raised an eyebrow at the defiant Scallion. "When this great crusade against death is done, all the immortals I have created will go free. Then I shall destroy the Nexus and reign over this land. Now don't you wish to join me in stopping death?"

Amsa spit at Kaine's feet, "Death is a part of life. It is nature and there is no stopping it."

"No?" Kaine waved Amsa forward just as he did Kirth. He stared into the Scallion's eyes and began again; "well I've found a way. I will end death."

Amsa shrieked a spell and threw up his arms. Red lances of energy arced out of his body and struck everything evil nearby. The skeletons and daemons across the river fell dead as the beams tore through them. Kirth winced a bit as a beam struck him but he had soon managed to recuperate. The brunt of the attack hit Kaine who stood there with Amsa's throat in his hand.

"A defiant little one, aren't we? You too shall be a great addition to my army"

Kai looked away as Amsa shrieked for the final time. Was his essence was added to the river of souls, Kai turned back to face his destiny. Kaine was about a meter before him smiling from ear to ear.

"Kai the Black I condemn you..." another smile crossed the Necromancer's face, "to live. After all, I need someone to report back to the other towns telling them how futile it is to resist."

A discolored portal opened beside Kai. The normally red center was black as night and the outside was blood red.

"Tell the resistance to surrender and come to me. I shall give them immortality and spare them the horrors this war will cause." Kaine raised a hand palm up causing Kai to lift gently off the stone slab. "I hope that the next time we meet Kai, you will have unlocked your real power. I itch for a good fight."

Kaine flicked his wrist and sent Kai hurtling into the portal. Thousands of red-hot needles pierced his skin as he entered it and the darkness beyond.


End file.
